ACS (I)'s 400m record-breaker Joshua's a rising star

He ruled the event in the National Schools' C Division track and field championships, winning gold in the Boys' 400m in 2014.

Anglo-Chinese School's (Independent) Joshua Lim stormed to gold in the event in the B Division competition last year and, yesterday, he stamped his authority in Singapore schoolboys' 400m sprinting when he posted a new record of 49.24sec at the Bishan Stadium to make it a hat-trick of titles.

The 16-year-old bettered the previous record of 49.75 set by Singapore Sports School's Jamie Ross Coates in 2008.

"It's been quite a pressurising few months in the lead-up to this, but I accomplished what I came here to do," said Joshua, who also holds the C Division record (51.65).

"Every record is special; breaking them is about overcoming your barriers physically, and that's when you take on a whole new level."

The Secondary 4 student started and finished the race strongly, seeing off his closest competitor - Sports School's Mohammad Irfan Qabeel (51.29) - by more than two seconds.

VICTORY CRY

After crossing the finish line, a breathless Joshua sank to his knees and pointed to the sky, giving thanks with a victory cry.

"I was a bit anxious as I've been preparing for this moment for quite a while," he told The New Paper later.

"But, when I was on my blocks, I knew the target was to break the record and that was what I focused on during the race."

Joshua admitted that fatigue had set in towards the end, but said his faith and preparation pulled him through.

"It was one of the best races I've ever run but, in the 400 metres, you're mostly unconscious throughout, so it's a bit difficult to focus on your running style," he said.

"On the back straight, I wasn't thinking too much; I was prepping myself for the last 200 metres where it was every man for himself.

"I was beginning to tire, but I just put every bit of effort I had left into the last stretch."

ACS (I) head coach Tang Ngai Kin praised Joshua for coming through challenging conditions.

"There was a strong headwind on the home straight and near the end there was a backwind," the former Singapore track star said.

"But, it was no problem because nature is nature, so we don't give excuses; on the whole, he completed a very good run."

Tang refused to pin unnecessary expectations on the 400m champion, after his impressive time.

"Ever since he was in ACS (Primary), we recognised him as a natural talent, as you must have very good running mechanics to run the 400 metres," he said.

"He's already in Year 4, so we'll let him decide what he wants to do; everybody can dream, but his legs will do the talking."

Joshua is "most definitely" keen on breaking the A Division 400m record of 48.69 - set two years ago by Anglo-Chinese Junior College's Muncherji Zubin Percy.

"I discovered that I had a talent in Primary 4 and, from a very early stage, I understood that track and field was more than just about medals," he said.

"It's a great win for me and my teammates, and a victorious day for ACS (I)."

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400M results

C Div Girls' final

1. Apeland Keira Mingan (CHIJ Katong Convent) - 1min 03.44sec
2. Phoebe Angeline Law (Nanyang Girls' High School) - 1:04.36
3. Liu Jingyi (CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School) - 1:05.68

C Div Boys' final

1. Kyes Gaffoor (St Joseph's Institution) - 55.81sec
2. Samuel Lee (Catholic High) - 56.22
3. Bryan Lam (Hwa Chong Institution) - 56.40

B Div Girls' final

1. Diane Hilary Pragasam (Singapore Sports School) - 1:01.44
2. Abigail Louise Tan (CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School) - 1:01.90
3. Addeen Idzni Imran (Singapore Sports School) - 1:03.01

B Div Boys' final

1. Joshua Lim (Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)) - 49.24
2. Mohammad Irfan Qabeel (Singapore Sports School) - 51.29
3. Irving Alexander de Boer (Hwa Chong Institution) - 51.57

A Div Girls' final

1. Pan Xin-Min (Hwa Chong Institution) - 1:01.52
2. Celeste Goh (Singapore Sports School) - 1:01.72
3. Sharon Tan (National Junior College) - 1:03.73

A Div Boys' final

1. Ow Yeong Wen Bin (Hwa Chong Institution) - 50.11
2. Dinesh Hulbert Anthony Lawrence (St Andrew's Junior College) - 50.84
3. Mark Llewellyn Lim (Raffles Institution) - 52.25